'War crimes' Bosnian Serb leader Karadzic says prosecutors lack evidence

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic accused prosecutors of lying about his role in Bosnia’s descent into civil war to make up for a lack of evidence as he took the floor to wrap up his defence at the end of his long-running genocide trial. Prosecutors are seeking the maximum penalty of life imprisonment against Karadzic, 69, a leading political figure during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia. He is charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide for crimes committed as Karadzic’s ethnic Serb army tried to rid Bosnia of Croats and Muslims.

Since the distinguished prosecution lawyer, Mr. Tieger, has no evidence, he chose to tarnish my personality, he called me a liar and mobster.

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic

But Karadzic, who is defending himself after refusing the services of a lawyer, rejected the charges in closing remarks at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Concluding their case this week after four years of proceedings in The Hague, prosecutors said on Monday Karadzic had been the driving force in a campaign of genocide. Karadzic faces charges of genocide for the killing of more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys from Srebrenica, when ethnic Serb forces gunned down prisoners at execution sites.

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